Estrella's Unusual Contact (Story)
For the normal Encounter without a token or Estrella's Mark, see Estrella's Unusual Contact. "And, now, let us see how queens are made... and how they fall." Event "If we are to defend Far Water from the Empire, we will need help." Estrella leads you through town until you reach the cellar door of an abandoned farmhouse. "My contact is of the Silt-ears, long thought lost." Estrella pulls aside the heavy cellar door and waves you in. You follow Estrella through damp corridors that burrow deep into the earth. "Through here," she says. "And... watch your step." The player enters a Maze of Traps. Estrella smiles. "She doesn't enjoy visitors usually. The Empire have been after her for years." Estrella opens the door to a dimly lit cavern. A giant humanoid rat sits on a pile of rags. A tattered hood casts its face in shadows. Immense and grizzled, the rat's long snout is gray with age. You find your way past the cellar door of an abandoned farmhouse and to the cavern hideaway of the last Silt-ear. It bares sharp teeth and rasps, "What goes?" "Elder Queen, it is Estrella of Far Water." Your companion steps forward and bows. "It has been many years since we last spoke, but I seek your help. A great army marches to take this town." The rat's milky eyes blink for a while, before her ancient head nods. It taps a claw at a box full of artefacts - some old and rusted, others shining and new. Then it draws a symbol in the dust and raises one finger. Estrella nods. "She wants the artefact Empire's Burden." 1) Give your Empire's Burden artefact. :You place the artefact at the Silt-ear's feet. The rat paws at it, before pushing it into a box at her side. :Estrella bows again (the Silt-ear doesn't appear to notice) and exits the cave. "It will take some days for her to craft the upgrade." :The player gains this card's token. :"Meanwhile, we should head west. Captain Bellmare is leading a scouting party there. He is an old ally and good friend, he may be convinced to help defend Far Water." 2) Ask about the Silt-ears. :The Silt-ear hisses, "No... no... none left... only Rat left..." :Estrella frowns with guilt. "Long before either of us were born, the Silt-ears were a significant presence in this land. Then, I believe, a past Emperor decreed that they must be...purged." 3) Ask Estrella how she came by such an unusual contact. :"When I was a child, I stumbled upon this underground maze and the Elder Queen quite by accident." :"This was of course long before I was even a soldier, before the propaganda campaigns declaring the Silt-ears monstrous vermin to be eradicated." :Estrella shakes the bad thoughts from her head, and gazes sadly at the ancient rat. "She saved my sister and me from an underground wyrm once - she was quite the fearsome fighter back then. I suppose she's getting quite long in the tooth now - she must be at least 300 years old." 4) Ask if the Elder Queen really is royalty. :Estrella shrugs. "This was all before my time, so I can't be sure. When I was child, when she was less... old... she referred to herself as 'Elder Queen', now she just calls herself 'Rat.'" :"The Empire doesn't have much official interest in their history. From what I've heard, the Silt-ears did have royalty - kings and queens and princes." 5) Leave. :The old rat's white eyes stare unblinking as you exit. Unlocked By Acquire the token for The Peasant King. Token unlocks "A gift for a gift: a respectful way to deal with the last of the Queens of Plague. I miss them: my original cohort. Yet their time has passed; it will not come again." For enlisting the help of a Silt-ear in your fight for Far Water... Empire Captain Bellmare Notes As the Dealer comments, the Elder Queen in this Encounter is the last of the Queens of Plague from Hand of Fate.Category:Encounters Category:Encounter Tokens Category:Companion-Specific